Corrective garment

ABSTRACT

A corrective garment that constricts and corrects at least a lower portion of a human body and that has a compression reduced portion covering only an infraumbilical region of the human body. This corrective garment enables a wearer to breathe more deeply to resolve a feeling of suffocation, while less loosely constricting the abdominal region.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to corrective garments for correcting at least lower portions of human bodies.

BACKGROUND ART

Such corrective garments include various types such as one for the shape of a lower body, one for a pelvis, one for a posture, one for both pelvis and posture, and one for a lower body with the purpose of lower back pain treatment. Each of the types achieves aimed correction by constricting a lower body in a unique manner. Some prior-art examples of the corrective garments for the shape of a lower body are disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, those for a pelvis are in Patent Literatures 3 and 4, those for a posture are in Patent Literatures 5 and 6, those for both pelvis and posture is in Patent Literature 7, and those for a lower body with the purpose of lower back pain treatment is in Patent Literature 8.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

Patent Literature 1: JP 6414643 B

Patent Literature 2: JP H09-111502 A

Patent Literature 3: JP 2012-062590 A

Patent Literature 4: JP 3164052 U

Patent Literature 5: JP 2013-151765 A

Patent Literature 6: JP 2014-145144 A

Patent Literature 7: JP 2018-183374 A

Patent Literature 8: JP 2001-346820 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The above-mentioned types of corrective garments tightly constrict lower bodies to achieve aimed correction, and thus, have to tightly constrict abdomens at the same time. As a result, the corrective garments cannot avoid a problem of causing wearers to feel suffocated due to tight constriction of their abdomens. In order to resolve the problem, each of the corrective garments should be formed to more loosely constrict the entirety of an abdomen, but obviously, this severely reduces the primary function of the corrective garment.

An object of the invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, in particular, to provide a corrective garment that less loosely constricts a wearer's abdomen but can resolve his/her feeling of suffocation.

One aspect of the invention provides a corrective garment for constricting and correcting at least a lower portion of a human body with a compression reduced portion covering only an infraumbilical region of the human body. The meaning of “covering only the infraumbilical region” is not limited to “covering only a location identified as the infraumbilical region of a particular individual.” Since the locations of the infraumbilical regions vary from person to person and are distributed from approximately 2 cm to approximately 14 cm below the umbilicus (the most likely location ranges from 3 cm to 6 cm below the umbilicus,) the meaning can be any of, for example, “covering the most likely location of the infraumbilical region ranging from 3 cm to 6 cm below the umbilicus,” “covering another location ranging from 2 cm to 7 cm below the umbilicus,” or “covering yet another location ranging from 2 cm to 14 cm below the umbilicus.” In addition, when a compression reduced portion should cover any desired one of the above-listed locations, the meaning may be “a single compression reduced portion should cover the entirety of the desired location,” or alternatively, “two or more compression reduced portions should be distributed over the desired location.” The desired location, i.e. the infraumbilical region, only has to be designed to have a width of approximately 3 cm each on the left and right sides of a vertical line passing through the umbilicus so that the corrective garment can fit the infraumbilical regions of a variety of people.

Since the invention provides the corrective garment with the compression reduced portion covering only the infraumbilical region of a human body, the corrective garment enables a wearer to breathe more deeply to effectively resolve a feeling of suffocation, while less loosely constricting the abdominal region, i.e. while less reducing the corrective function. More specifically, since the invention allows the corrective garment to less loosely constrict the abdominal region, the corrective garment can help the wearer keep the abdominal pressure and also the elevation level of the diaphragm, thus ensuring a large expiratory volume. On the other hand, due to the compression reduced portion covering the infraumbilical region, the corrective garment enables air inhaled by the wearer to smoothly flow into the infraumbilical region so that the wearer can lower the descent level of the diaphragm to inhale a larger volume of air through the infraumbilical region into the entirety of the abdomen. In these manners, the corrective garment enables the wearer to exhale and inhale an increased volume of air, thus breathing more deeply to resolve a feeling of suffocation.

The compression reduced portion may be a convex portion that bulges outward, which may include a seam extending vertically. When the seam is unsewn, an edge of a fabric piece on the left side of the seam may bulge rightward and an edge of a fabric piece on the right side of the seam may bulge leftward. The lowest compression pressure within the convex portion is not higher than preferably half, more preferably one tenth of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the compression reduced portion. Alternatively, the compression reduced portion may be a hole, which may be open, or otherwise, covered with a fabric piece within which the lowest compression pressure is not higher than preferably half, more preferably one tenth of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the compression reduced portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a corrective garment according to an embodiment of the invention that has a compression reduced portion in the form of a convex portion;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the corrective garment shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3A is a front view of the corrective garment shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged view of the corrective garment with its front seam unsewn;

FIG. 3C is a partially enlarged view of the corrective garment with a compression reduced portion in the form of an open hole; and

FIG. 3D is a partially enlarged view of the corrective garment with a compression reduced portion in the form of a hole covered with a fabric piece.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Corrective garments according to embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter explained with reference to the drawings. Throughout the explanation, up-down, front-back, and left-right directions mean those with respect to wearers of the corrective garments.

FIGS. 1-3 show a girdle for correcting a body shape, which is the simplest example of corrective garments according to the invention. Needless to say, the corrective garments according to the invention are not limited to such girdles.

A corrective garment according to an embodiment of the invention is made of fabric with elasticity, which can provide a relatively great stretching force or power. A “stretching force” means a force that is required to stretch a fabric piece in a fixed direction at a constant rate. Due to a great stretching force of the fabric, the corrective garment tightly constricts the abdomen, lumbar, and buttocks of a wearer against his/her movements trying to stretch the fabric so that it presses the bulge of the abdomen and raises the buttocks. In this manner, the corrective garment uses a great constriction force caused by the great stretching force of the fabric to achieve a function of correcting the body shape of the wearer.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the corrective garment is provided a compression reduced portion 10 covering only an infraumbilical region of a human body. The compression reduced portion 10 is a portion in which compression pressure is lower than that of surrounding portions for constricting abdominal regions of the human body.

The compression reduced portion 10 in this embodiment is a convex portion bulging away from the infraumbilical region of a wearer. As shown in FIG. 3A, the convex portion includes a front seam 11, which is a vertically extending portion along which two fabric pieces on the left and right sides of the portion are sewn. When the front seam 11 is unsewn, as shown in FIG. 3B, an edge 12 of a fabric piece on the left side of the front seam 11 bulges rightward and an edge 13 of a fabric piece on the right side of the front seam 11 bulges leftward. When both the edges 12 and 13 are sewn along their bulges, the front seam 11 is formed as a three-dimensional shape, in particular, a convex shape protruding outward.

When the corrective garment is worn, the compression reduced portion 10 in the form of such a convex portion is stretched in the left-right and vertical directions, and then, reduces its height in the outward direction. Its initial height is preadjusted to cause the convex portion of the reduced height to not tightly press the infraumbilical region. This can reduce the lowest compression pressure within the convex portion, i.e. the compression pressure at the apex P of the convex portion, to be not higher than half or one of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the convex portion. Note that the convex portion of this embodiment is designed such that, when the corrective garment is worn, the convex portion is stretched in the left-right and vertical directions to be flattened, but the lowest compression pressure within the convex portion, i.e. the compression pressure at the apex P, is reduced to zero or nearly zero. Accordingly, among the abdominal regions of the wearer, only the infraumbilical region is not tightly pressed.

In this embodiment, a portion of the corrective garment covering the infraumbilical region is designed such that, when the correcting garment is worn, i.e. when the portion is stressed by tensional forces, the vertical length of the portion, or the length thereof in the up-down direction, ranges from 5 cm to 9 cm below the umbilicus and the width of the portion is approximately 1.5 cm each on the left and right sides of a center line of the front body of the corrective garment, i.e. a vertical line passing through the umbilicus. In order to achieve such a dimension when the correcting garment is worn, the portion is formed such that, when the correcting garment is not worn, the vertical length H of the portion ranges from 4.5 cm to 8.5 cm below the top of the waist 14 and the width of the portion is approximately 1 cm each on the left side LW and right side RW of the center line of the front body of the corrective garment. In addition, the apex P of the convex portion has a height T of approximately 5 mm in the outward direction when the convex portion is not stressed by any tensional forces before the correcting garment is worn (cf. FIG. 2 ). As described above, the corrective garment less tightly presses only the infraumbilical region, while less loosely constricting the abdominal region, and thus enables the wearer to breathe more deeply.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the convex portion has the fabric piece with the edge bulging rightward and the fabric piece with the edge bulging leftward, both of which are made of the same fabric as the fabric piece constricting the abdominal regions around the convex portion. However, embodiments of the invention are not limited to such a condition. For example, when the fabric piece constricting the abdominal regions around the convex portion is formed as a double-layer fabric, i.e. a pair of surface and back fabric layers, only one layer of the pair may be selected and formed such that the edge 12 of a fabric piece on the left side of the selected layer bulges rightward and the edge 13 of a fabric piece on the right side of the selected layer bulges leftward. In addition, the fabric pieces with their respective edges bulging rightward and leftward may be made of softer fabric.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the compression reduced portion 10 may be formed as an open hole 15 located midway in the front seam 11, instead of the convex portion. When the corrective garment is worn, this open hole 15 is stretched and grows in the left-right and vertical directions, and thus, the compression cannot reach the infraumbilical region of the wearer exposed through the open hole 15. In this manner, the corrective garment enables the wearer to breathe more deeply, while less loosely constricting his/her abdominal region.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the compression reduced portion 10 may be a hole 15 covered with a fabric piece 16. In this case, the lowest compression pressure within the fabric piece 16 is not higher than preferably half, more preferably one tenth of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the compression reduced portion 10. Most preferably, the lowest compression pressure is reduced to zero or nearly zero. The fabric piece 16 may be a fabric with high elongation or without power, a slack fabric covering the hole 15, or a surface or back layer of a double-layer fabric surrounding the hole 15.

The compression reduced portion 10 is formed to appear in the shape of a vertical ellipse when the convex portion or the hole is viewed from the front. However, a compression reduced portion according to the invention may appear in the shape of a circle, rhombus, rectangle, or plane figure lacking its upper half such as a semicircle, semirhombus, or semiellipse. The compression reduced portion may also be a predefined area including a plurality of convex portions, open holes, or holes covered with fabric pieces.

The above-described embodiment is the girdle for correcting a body shape, which is the simplest example of corrective garments according to the invention. The invention is not limited to such corrective garments, but it is easily applicable to other various corrective garments such as the above-mentioned prior art examples and yet-to-be-developed ones, and in addition, daily, sport, and medical garments. Specific products of corrective garments, to which the invention can be easily applied, include, for example, girdles, pelvic shorts, and tights, and in addition, bodysuits, pants, and trousers with portions constricting and correcting at least a lower portion of a human body.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   10 a compression reduced portion, 11 a front seam, 12 an edge of a     fabric piece on the left side of the front seam, 13 an edge of a     fabric piece on the right side of the front seam, 14 a waist, 15 a     hole in the front seam, 16 a fabric piece covering the hole, P a     point where compression pressure is the lowest within a convex     portion, H the vertical length of the convex portion, RW the width     of the convex portion on the right side of the center line of the     front body of the corrective garment, LW the width of the convex     portion on the left side of the center line of the front body of the     corrective garment, T the height of the apex of the convex portion. 

1. A corrective garment for constricting and correcting at least a lower portion of a human body comprising a compression reduced portion covering only an infraumbilical region of the human body.
 2. The corrective garment according to claim 1, wherein the compression reduced portion is a convex portion that bulges outward.
 3. The corrective garment according to claim 2, wherein: the convex portion includes a seam extending vertically; and when the seam is unsewn, an edge of a fabric piece on the left side of the seam bulges rightward and an edge of a fabric piece on the right side of the seam bulges leftward.
 4. The corrective garment according to claim 2, wherein the lowest compression pressure within the convex portion is not higher than half of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the compression reduced portion.
 5. The corrective garment according to claim 1, wherein the compression reduced portion is a hole.
 6. The corrective garment according to claim 5, wherein the hole is covered with a fabric piece within which the lowest compression pressure is not higher than half of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the compression reduced portion.
 7. The corrective garment according to claim 3, wherein the lowest compression pressure within the convex portion is not higher than half of the highest compression pressure within abdominal regions around the compression reduced portion. 